A prognostic score for subfertile men based on anamnestic data and semen variables

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Medicine
• Andrology
• Urology

Background:

• Male infertility affects a significant portion of couples seeking fertility treatment.
• Understanding prognostic factors is crucial for guiding clinical management and patient counseling.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify key predictors of conception in men investigated for infertility.
• To develop a prognostic score for estimating future conception rates in subfertile males.

Main Methods:

• Prospective investigation of 259 men for primary or secondary infertility over 4 years.
• Follow-up assessment of partner conception rates for 200 men 3-5 years post-investigation.
• Statistical analysis (stepwise discriminant analysis) of variables including age, testicular volume, sperm parameters, and infertility duration.

Main Results:

• Age at investigation, sperm density, sperm motility, and duration of infertility were significant predictors of conception.
• These four variables demonstrated a strong discriminant ability in predicting future conception outcomes.
• Total testicular volume did not emerge as a significant independent predictor in the final model.

Conclusions:

• A prognostic score incorporating age, sperm density, motility, and infertility duration can effectively estimate conception prospects.
• This score offers clinical utility for assessing the prognosis of subfertile men.
• Further validation of the score in diverse populations is warranted.